Eco-Active Family

The Washington Post ran an interesting story (A Trashed Economy Foretold) on Saturday about how a decrease in the amount of trash being discarded in landfills was an early indicator of the recession.

“The trash man is the first one to know about a recession because we see it first,” said Richard S. Weber, manager of the Loudoun County landfill.

The article details how consumer behavior and buying patterns have changed to such a degree that trash volume has dropped significantly.

“It’s all part of the cycle of stuff that people in the trash business say they’ve seen in every economic downturn since the end of World War II. People don’t buy stuff, so there’s less packaging — which typically makes up one-third of all landfill trash — to toss. With a drop in demand, manufacturers make less, creating less waste. More vacant homes and fewer people in a community mean less trash. A stagnant housing market means less construction debris. On tight budgets, people eat out less, so restaurants order less, so there’s less to throw away. Landscapers are out of work, so there’s less yard debris.”

For a cool and sobering depiction of this process, take a look at The Story of Stuff.

What’s really powerful to me is how, when pressed by economic circumstances, people can and do change their behavior in ways that have a more positive planetary impact.

What’s encouraging about all of this is that businesses are rethinking how they produce, manufacture and transport things — changes that once implemented, will live on even after the economy rebounds. But what about our behavior as individuals and consumers?

• Are the changes that you’re making to adapt to this unstable economy, the ones that are also good for the environment, permanent?
• Will your new routines become life-long habits?
• Or, do you see old habits rebounding when the economy does?
• How is this all playing out in your circles?

One of the things the we can do to integrate these changes into our lives for the long haul is to involve the kids as much as possible. Let’s make eco-active living a given and a gift from the very start.

Read the full article.

Do you Freecycle? I’d first heard of Freecycling (the free exchange of mostly used, but still-usable goods within local communities in an effort to keep stuff out of landfills) a couple of years ago. Since we live in a small townhouse with limited space and had what we needed for the kids, I didn’t want to be tempted to acquire things we really didn’t need or have space for, so I kept my distance. Last year I finally joined a local Freecycle group and was really impressed with the volume of goods exchanging hands. I felt comfort in knowing that those gadgets, old equipment and odds and ends that were no longer useful to their owners would find a home. But, while I enjoyed pursuing the lists, I couldn’t keep up with the volume of digests I received on a daily basis, so I eventually unsubscribed.

Today, I found a new way to participate in measured dose. We attended a Freecycle event held by a local moms group.  I was thrilled to have a place to bring that box of wine glasses that were taking up space in our cabinets, those diaper genie refills from two generations ago and a bunch of old VHS movies and exercise videos, among other things.

I was geared up to pass along a load of goods and find a few things for the kids. I also wanted them to see first hand how things we no longer need can serve others and vice versa. And, while we didn’t have much luck in the kid’s corner, most likely due to our late arrival, I did snag a few goodies for myself. Most thrilling was a comment from another mom who said she was following me as I added our goods to the mix because she could use several of the things that we’d brought - including the diaper genie refills from two generations ago.

So, what can you do:

• Visit the Freecycle web site to learn this grassroots effort
• Join a local freecycle group (through the web site) and be a part of the exchange
• Attend a freecycle event (and if you can’t fnd one near you, host one yourself!)

Do you Freeycle? What’s been your best find?

When I think about many of the things that our family is now doing to be more eco-active, I’m reminded of so many things that my mom did when I was growing up. She would save and reuse plastic bags and foil. We’d use jelly jars for drinking glasses and shop yard sales and flea markets for good bargains. We hung our clothes outside to dry after wash, even in the winter (in Massachusetts!). I come from a very large family, so money was very tight. Most of what we did, we did out of necessity, without thinking much about the impact on the earth. Today my family does many of those things because they fit philosophically, though more so, they are having economic benefits as well.

It seems we’ve come full circle, having gone from practical, to eco-chic and trendy, to downright practical again, because of tough economic times. In our family, we’ve been driving less and consolidating errands during the week. And, we’ve been shopping less in general and are more conscious about what we purchase when we do (really need vs really want; long lasting vs short-term fix), to name a few.

Your turn:

• Has the failing economy had an impact on your earth-friendly practices?
• Which came first for you: saving money or helping the earth?
• What new things are you doing to save money that have the added benefit of helping the earth?
• Will you continue these practices once the economy rebounds? (And it will!!!)

I have a confession to make… In my last post, In the Kitchen: Pitch the Paper, there was an obvious and intentional omission. In my plea to pitch paper napkins, missing was a corresponding plea to pitch the paper towels. The truth is that we’ve been struggling with this one. And since this blog is about sharing our family’s experiences on our quest to have a more positive planetary impact, we share from all angles.

To give ourselves some credit, we have trimmed our use of paper towels significantly. We used to buy the super-duper bundle at Costco and cut the sheets in half. But, tearing the sheets in half doesn’t always work well with the kiddies and the waste became unbearable. So, we switched to buying a three-pack of recycled paper towels from Trader Joe’s. Though thinner and smaller, we manage to stretch the pack out for two weeks or more. But, we are still buying them.

The place where we face the biggest challenge is in the kitchen with those super-sticky and greasy messes. We use cloth napkins and rags for most spills and for cleaning. But what to use to absorb the grease when microwaving bacon? I suppose one solution would to fry the bacon instead of microwaving it, or go the healthy route and not eat it at all!

So, here’s our commitment. Once the last role is gone, we won’t replace it. That’s it! We’ll stock up on rags, do a little more wash, and reduce our waste at the same time. Truthfully, I don’t think it’ll be that great of a challenge, but time will tell. Stay tuned for an update.

Have you abandoned paper napkins and paper towels? If so, how do you make it work? If you haven’t taken the plunge, what’s your greatest challenge?